Thanks ya we have a blast fishing . Never a dull moment for sure if you have a kid with you either your baiting a hook untangling a line taking a fish off or finding a restroom for them wouldn't trade it for the world
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Thanks ya we have a blast fishing . Never a dull moment for sure if you have a kid with you either your baiting a hook untangling a line taking a fish off or finding a restroom for them wouldn't trade it for the world
Kinda part of the problem, when everyone is taking home 100+ crappie just because they caught them, part of the reason we don't have those years on Eufaula hardly ever anymore. People still believe the lake cant be over fished, but it has been over fished for a few years.
I can remember when I could go on my dock year round and catch a mess of fish, now not so much. Keep having those 5700 crappie years and Eufaula will be like Keystone or Gibson.
It must've already started. My wife and I got on the water around 11 Saturday morning. We fished Gaines, Blue and Ash creeks. Even went to mid lake area and fished coves. We fished from 6 inches deep to 20 feet. We fished flats, creek channels, buck brush and had one bite. Saw a lot of boats and nobody was catching anything. Talked to one guy that was anchored fishing with minnows and he hadn't caught anything. I told him the fish knew it was Saturday since it's the only day I can fish. We headed out around 4:30.Quote:
Originally Posted by yotebuster37
You have to remember that some people on Crappie. com are salesmen trying to build up their guide service. As for me why drive 90 miles to get skunked I can do that on the local lakes.
Like keystone huh??? You must not know it very well...Quote:
Originally Posted by yotebuster37
Got that right. . .don't get me wrong we had a great spawn last year that most fisherman could not molest the crappie while they were on the bed. . . . If I keep crappie. . . I keep nine. . . More than enough for two people. Anymore than twenty is just plain silly.Quote:
Originally Posted by yotebuster37
Devil Icon
This is gonna get good!
Thank goodness none of your opinions matter. No way I'm driving 2 hours to keep 9 crappie and throw back 50+ . crappie are swimming filet mignons if y'all dont realize that
Wildlife Dept fisheries guys monitor this stuff for a living. On lakes where limits are too high for the calculated population of a particular lake they reduce it .Not that it's perfect science but it they aren't just guessing either.Thinning the herd can be healthy. Lake Tenkiller for example has a much lower limit. Personally I think they need to raise the limit on shad cause there's so many of them in that lake I cant imagine why crappie even hit our jigs. :deadhorse
I can't speak for most crappie fishermen on this lake, but I do know that Eufaula Boy and Ranger; If they tell you they caught "X" number of crappie, you can bet your bottom dollar they're spot on about it. Couple of honest guys and they wouldn't tell us something that isn't true.
Let's not trash this useful thread and get it locked. You want to belly ache about limits being too high start a thread.
This is a good conversation. I come from a place where trout fishing is the main thing. It took a very long time for fishermen to start catching and releasing fish. I used to keep fish to show all my buds. But then I had so many in my freezer that I ended up wasting a lot. I can totally understand and support those who either fish for a living or need/want the meat, but for me, I mainly fish for the sport of finding fish and getting the bite. I let most of my fish go, especially the big ones (after a picture of course). I do think taking all the large fish out that we catch can hurt a lake (but, I'm not an expert on maintaining a healthy fishery). Based on Crappie Wisdom (book), it takes quite a number of years for a crappie to reach 12+" in our Oklahoma lakes. I believe sportsmen are the most in tune with what they should be doing to keep the tradition going for future generations, not the regulators. I believe in all of you, who love this fish, just like I do.
:hesaid This thread is about fishing Lake Eufaula. While the comments posted are of interest to some they should be in their own thread so that those that are interested may peruse.Quote:
Originally Posted by DrNip
Just try to keep things civil guys. Oologah used to be the same way, but with more and more ex Bass fishermen getting older, most turn to Crappie. Take into account todays electronics making secret brushpiles a thing of the past. Thirty years ago one could go to Duchess Creek or Gentry Creek during the spawn over night and see a city of lights, generators, family get togethers and banks loaded with Toad size Crappie. There are very few lakes that are like they used to be due to pressure an the fact there are just more fishermen on the water.
I cannot blame any guide for making a living and touting his catches. 30 years ago, I'd bet that hardly anyone had the attitude of keeping 9 to eat and let the rest go. I'd like to see a 10" limit on Oologah imposed as I've seen many keep smaller fish that wouldn't get two bites out of once cooked.
Keeping a limit somewhat makes up for the trips that didn't produce results. Some folks like to have others over for a big fish fry. Some give their fish to an elderly couple who can't fish but love Crappie.
If I owned a dock on any lake and I wanted fish under that dock, I would invest in figuring out the best way to create the most comfortable habitat for the Crappie.
Welcome to the board yotebuster37! Not many lurkers join up because they want to complain about something on their very first post. Now that you're talking to us, you'll meet guys that fish Eufaula on a regular basis that will help point you in the right direction should your dock not be cooperating. The people on this board are so good, you'll be kickin yourself in the hind end for not meeting us all sooner. As for me? I'm just a guy that loves to fish for Crappie. Since joining Crappie.com, I kind of like meeting people from across the State/Country that I can go fish with them on new water and not have to drag a boat and a bunch of tackle. You're going to be amazed at some of the friendships you'll make!
Keep things on the low everyone. I won't lock this thread but will come in and make multiple deletions if needed.
Reaper
Gill net surveys... There is a reason why they do em every year. Fishing reports are anecdotal. Just cause someone doesn't catch them doesn't mean they are not there. Crappie populations are highly cyclical with fishermen only part of the equation, in many lakes only a very small part of the equation. I am not a big one for trusting government, but I don't think there is a conspiracy in our State game Dept to reduce crappie numbers. They have a eye on it, if it gets out of hand, and I hate to admit this, I actually trust them that they would do something about it.
Research cormorants (water turkeys) and cormorants in Oklahoma. Cormorants eat about 1 pound of fish every day. Our Fish and wildlife department estimates that 50,000 cormorants live in Oklahoma from October to May. That's 25 tons of fish per day. Lesser numbers are in Oklahoma in other months. There are no estimates of how many fish are injured by the cormorants and die later, but we've all seen crappie and catfish with stab wounds.
In the 90's, a headline in the Oklahoman said that there were 9,000 cormorants on Lake Hefner. They stayed there for seven weeks. That's 220.5 tons consumed, and who knows how many injured fish.
Cormorants have wiped out a lot of catfish farmers throughout the south. There were 147 catfish farmers in Oklahoma in the early 90's. Not sure how many there are now.
It would appear that cormorants take a lot more fish than the fishermen take.
:twocents
yotebuster37, where on Eufaula is your dock? I have a dock in Arrowhead Estates (in Rock Creek Cove). I hang cedars below the dock and we do pretty well with catching crappie. I only fish a few months out of the year (and we are there only on the weekends) - once the water gets warm, we are either hanging out in the water or cruising around on our pontoon. So I have to stock up my freezer to get me through to my next fishing "season".Quote:
Originally Posted by yotebuster37
Gill net surveys are an very important part of seeing where you lake population is. . . Don't think so? Check out the latest texoma survey as they reflect the results of last year's flood. . . Striper population down fifty percent. . So does the wildlife dept make regulation changes or should fisherman fill their ice chest full because they drove two hours to get there. It's a good idea to see the difference between of having a great day and creating waste.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishers
I will speak up in the defense of Brian (EB) cause after talking with him which I do everyday I know his thoughts and feelings. He will not defend hisself due to creating more conversation. When he said "we cleaned 5700 crappie", he was not speaking of him alone. It was many friends in our circle of life he was referring to. Close friends, relatives, and local guides as well. Hope this clarifies a few things.....Ranger.
Fished yesterday with Shane and Mike which we started on the north end where I had some fish located late last week. We fished for 3 hours and had 3 keeper crappie to show for it. I will say Shane and Mike never complained for a second when I said guys we need to make a move. We loaded up and headed south. Not really knowing what I would find since not being in that area for 10 days it was a great decision. We ended our day with 35 keepers with a big fish of 1.91. Had 11 from 1.58 to tha 1.91 toad. It was a jerk fest all afternoon. Fish are still scattered and had to fish a lot of banks to catch a few here and there. Bite was in 8' to 14' and with 64 degree water I looked shallow but never caught a fish.......Ranger
Fish Eufaula a few times and it's a BIG LAKE. I fish Kaw most of the time and have to remember their #1 concern is flood control not fishing. Seems like up here we have a good year every 2 or 3 years. Don't think the crappie populations are down anywhere we just have good and bad years. When we get heavy rain like last year, it's gonna make for a tough year with water levels constantly changing. There is more crappie fishermen now than ever before but not all catch a limit every day. Gotta respect guys like Ranger and Eufaula Boy that can go catch them consistently. Hopefully we have good spring weather and everyone can catch fish.
I will also not lock this thread but will delete posts if it gets out of hand.
Here are my 2 cents worth.
If you know who Eufaula Boy is, you would know he is a guide. The years he is talking about he guided probably a minimum of 100 days a year or more. He also guided 2 or 3 people in his boat at a time that were paying and wanting to take fish home. So by my MATH MAJOR calculations that is 5700/100 = 57 per day, divide that by 3 and you get 19 each. I know Brian and he doesn't waste fish.
Second point I have been in a boat with Eufaula Boy (Brian), Ranger09 (Mark), and JD when it was 28 degrees and snowing, putting out structure, yes we got approval. I have also been with them when it was 100 degrees putting out structure so to say they or we take and don't give back is just being uninformed.
Thirdly, if you think that releasing crappie means that they will live for years you are also misinformed. Crappie have a very short lifespan compared to a lot of fish. That is the reason a bad spawn over one or two years can really affect a lakes numbers. But when there are good spawns the lake will bounce back quickly. In my opinion the quality of the spawn is the MOST important factor. There is usually a 3-4 year lag for fisherman to see that. If it was a great spawn they will see the effect 3-4 years later, same for a bad spawn.
I will give you an example on my home lake Oologah. For 3 winters in a row starting in about 2009 the crappie fishing was lights out then for 2 winters in a row it was terrible. My logic is we didn't have a very good spawn during the years 2009 and 2010. Last year and this year have been awesome. As a matter of fact last year we had several days where 2 of us caught 150-200 crappie a day and would be able to keep only 30-40 over 10 inches. Most of the crappie we were catching were 9-9 1/2 inches and we threw them back. I told my buddies those were 2 1/2 year old coming 3 year old crappie. This year we have caught a ton of 12-12 1/2 inch fish that I believe are the crappie we released last year. We also catch an occasional 3 inch crappie that I think was spawned in 2015, some 6-7 inch crappie that I think were spawned in 2014, numerous 9 inch fish that I think were spawned in 2013. I am convinced by my catches this year we had at least 3 years in a row of excellent spawns on Oologah.
I guess in summary before you point too many fingers, most of this forum has come to find out, these are good guys and they don't abuse our resources. They usually are also the first to let you know how to improve your fishing success . So please get to know as many of us as possible. Like Craig stated earlier, I too enjoy not having to drag a boat all over the state to fish, not to mention getting to fish spots that would take me hours to discover even with today's technology. Over 90% of the folks on here I did not know until I joined. I now have fished several new lakes and have shared a boat with many who I now consider friends.
Odie
we have a lot of good people that post on this board and also give out a lot of good information.If it wasn't for a couple guys on this board some of us would spend all day trying to pattern fish with bad results.Speaking for myself im sure glad that I can look on here and get info or just call EB or Ranger either one and they will tell you where and how to catch them.I know they both work hard at it and it shows.I have fished with EB a lot and seen him throw back more than keep when he is just fishing for fun.i appreciate the quality info of the people on here and if im headed to a lake that im not familiar with ill be looking here for advice.thanks EB and Ranger,you guiding suckers lol.also the guys that guide sometimes are introducing fishing to a lot of people including youths that don't know much about crappie fishing and bringing a lot of enjoyment to there lives.
I usually only read and don't talk, mostly because I don't like typing, but also because there are people on here that are so much better fishermen than me (i.e. EB and Ranger) and I just enjoy learning from what they write. But, I would like to point out that those guys are professional guides, they not only pay for a fishing license every year or have purchased a lifetime license, but they also pay an additional $90 to the state for the guide license. Oklahoma wildlife department uses money from all the licenses they sell to fund conservation projects (like stocking fish in areas that need it), among other things...
License
We gripe about having to pay the extra $25 tax so we can fish, and these guys not only have to pay that, but then they pay another tax of almost $100, which by my calculations is about 500% more than what the people complaining about the 5700 fish pay. Not to mention the reality side of what they do for a little boy whose dad don't get to fish much because he works all the time so he hires a professional to make sure he and his boy have a day that is memorial when they get to go fishing. Are you mad because someone is good enough to catch 50 or 60 every time they go out, or are you mad because you're not? Thank you EB, Ranger, Stink and all you guys who always post good information and don't even know that you are helping guys like me.
So um... not to get this thread off track or anything but.. I've been fishing the docks in Longtown #9 area this week with little luck. My boat slips are brushed out pretty well but I've only caught 3-5 fish on any day if I'm lucky and they have all been real small... I hope some of that southern lake action moves up to me real soon. my freezer is empty :) well maybe this post actually gets it back on track :)
I went out Saturday evening and caught a few around gentry creek area 5 fow about 18" deep. Almost all of them were about 10". Hope this helps. God bless.
Went out this morning caught 10 good ones in 2 ft of water color was punkin/ chartreuse wading tripped an fell got wet came home nurse my wounds try to go back later. Fishing north end
On crappie guides and populations --- I fish both eufaula and oologah on a regular basis have not hired the guides but have met Todd and Barry both on eufaula both have been a big influence on the way I fish and baits I use very seldom do I have a limit but always have enough for a supper or 2, have talked to both they are always willing to help,at either lake the fish are there sometimes the bite is slow even for the guides but they are willing to put the time in to check some different structure or another drop off ,one reason they consistently catch fish , thanks to all the fisherman and guides for the information that is passed on -- my saying is if you feel the Thump set the hook if not set it anyway it may be a 3 lb slab -- fish on and God bless
My sons hired EB to guide me a few years ago for fathers day ! I have never had so much fun fishing in my life ! THANKS Brian
Wife and I fished Gentry creek Saturday for 2 hours , never fished it before so started shallow and caught 1 dink in 4 ft of water , put the electronics to work and found shad in 18 ft dow and double dipped 3 in beavertails black/chart at 10 to 12 foot and wound up with 6 nice slabs up to 1.89 lbs , left okc at 1:00 , didn't get on the water until 4:00 , with a little input from people like Brian and Mark and the rest of CDC helps a ton , keep up the good reports and I'll keep driving my gas guzzling 8 mpg truck 2 1/2 hours to feel that thump !! P.S one of these days im gonna have to hire one of you so my wife knows what a limit is .
Guys thank you for all the kind words. Because of crappie.com my fishing network has grown state wide, I really hope we have a great year for every lake in the state. Every single day I visit with other fisherman like: Odie, Ranger, Huckabee, FtGibson boy etc. We are always talking fish movements, habitat, reports and so on. Yes I've been a part time guide for 14 years now but I am a teacher by trade and it gives me an opportunity to learn and teach crappie fishing, which is my passion.
Varmithunter, I enjoyed taking you, listening to you talk about killing rabbits with your bow and arrow. Which is pretty impressive!
Now let me post a report from today, got on the water at 1:30 fished till 5:30 had 29 keepers. Just by talking to the other fisherman it was a tough bite in the morning hours. But we found them around structure in 8-10 ft right off bottom. We were using beaver bottom baits blk/pink and blk/chart. EB
I run into Ranger and EB frequently when I am out fishing. I used EB's services as a guide 3 or 4 years ago to learn. Both of them have helped me become a much better crappie fisherman and are invaluable for keeping up where and how to catch fish on the lake. Whenever I run into them, I share what I know about patterns and locations. Its the least I could for all their help. So, again guys. Thanks for all you do!
Here are some pics from the last 2 days of fishing. Attachment 232574Attachment 232575Attachment 232578
Starting to get use to your pics and having to lean my head to the left!!! Rofl
Just kidding. Nice fish.
Fishers it's always good to see you and talk crappie fishing, I told you that Elsa would get in your boat if you got to close lol. EB
Attachment 232582
Nice fish.........
I call it the Crappie Ciller Syndrom!Quote:
Originally Posted by DrNip
Reaper can fix that for you in just 14 simple steps Brian!